Farrey Movie Review: Bollywood’s Desi Twist on Academic Deception

Star Cast: Alizeh Agnihotri, Ronit Roy, Arbaaz Khan, Juhi Babbar, Prasanna Bisht, Sahil Mehta, Zeyn Shaw, Shilpa Shukla

Director: Soumendra Padhi

What’s Good: Everything that doesn’t change from the source material

What’s Bad: The complex of adding unnecessary modifications ruining what the original has established

Loo Break: Just like the characters, you’ll need a bathroom to cheat, cheat on the boring

Watch or Not?: Only if you haven’t watched Bad Genius, the Thai Film it’s based on

Available On: Theatrical release

Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes

Farrey, a Bollywood adaptation of the Thai film Bad Genius, introduces us to Niyati (Alizeh Agnihotri), an orphan scoring all-India #1. She stays with Warden (Ronit Roy) and Zoya (Juhi Babbar), who run a shelter home.

Niyati enters a Delhi elite school where teachers prioritize Oxford scholarships over IIT. Financial struggles arise when she helps wealthy students, led by Chhavi (Prasanna Bisht), cheat, leading to scholarship revocation.

Farrey mirrors the tension of Bad Genius during cheating scenes. However, changes in character dynamics, especially Niyati’s diluted motive, impact the emotional core. Alizeh Agnihotri shines in her debut, but the film falters in maintaining consistency.

Director Soumendra Padhi captures the source material’s essence but falls short in sustaining impact. Sachin-Jigar’s music, including MC Stan’s title track, adds to the vibe, but not all songs hit the mark.

In conclusion, Farrey remains a step away from being a faithful Bad Genius remake. While replicating some strengths, the additional elements lack the same impact, earning the film two and a half stars.

Farrey releases on 24 November, 2023.

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